Kyoto Sightseeing

Kyoto Travel Blog

We boarded a tour bus around 8:00 a.m. for a day of organized Kyoto sightseeing. The guide was apprehensive about having a busload of American teens to show around Kyoto, but by the end of the day, she was very impressed with our students. We made stops to visit four significant sites in Kyoto.

First was Kinkakuji, the Temple of the Golden Pavilion, a Zen temple rebuilt in 1955. This is one of the most famous destinations in Japan. It is a very popular spot for Japanese student groups and families to visit and one must have one's picture taken in front of it. (When I returned home I read Yukio Mishima's Temple of the Golden Pavilion, a fictionalized account of the troubled young monk who burned the original 14th century temple.

Kinkakuji Boathouse

) The gilded pagoda is itself beautiful, but I also enjoyed walking the path around the tranquil grounds with its ponds and stone arrangements. There is more to see here!

Leaving Kinkakuji, we drove by a Kanji character engraved on hillside. (The character is illuminated by bonfire on August 15 in the Daimonji-Okuribi festival. This is often a depicted in anime as a symbol of Kyoto.)

Nijo Castle (Nijojo) was next. On the itinerary were the Watchtower, East Gate, Karamon (Inner gate), garden, and Ninomaru Palace (1603). Ninomaru Palace is famous for its "nightengale floorboards" that make a chirping sound when tread upon. It is said that this was designed so no one could sneak up on the Shogun. In 1868, the Meiji Emperor took control of government at Ninomaru, ending the Tokugawa Shogunate.

Plan of Kinkakuji (Rokuon-ji) grounds

Of particular note were the intricately carved wooden Inner Gate and facade of Ninomaru Palace. A display of richly attired mannequins in the main hall of the palace depicts the Shogun receiving his subordinates.

Kiyomizu Temple is on a hillside on the opposite side of Kyoto. It's name, "kiyo mizu", meaning "pure water", is represented by the pure water spring on the grounds. Here we noted the main gate, pagoda, temple bell, Hondo (Main Hall) of 1629, and the adjacent Jishu Jinja Shrine. From the Platform, one has a view of the city below. ("To leap off the Platform of Kiyomizu" is a Japanese expression akin to "jumping off the deep end.") On the way back down I noted that path was lined with Cherry trees just about to blossom, But, we were a week or two too early for that.

Tranquility Pond and stone pagoda at Kinkakuji

We retraced out steps along Kiyomizu zaka, the Higashiyama District shopping street leading to the temple. There was time to inspect the many souvenier shops lining the streets.We enjoyed a buffet-style lunch at a hotel featuring Japanese dishes with fruits and Western style salads.

In the afternoon we headed for the Heian Jingu Shrine. (A temple is Buddhist while a shrine is Shinto.) Heian was an Imperial shrine of the Meji Period, constructed in 1895 to mark the 1100th anniversary of the founding of Kyoto. Here we noted the large concrete Tori Gate spanning the boulevard leading to the shrine, Main Gate, Byakko (White Tiger) side pavilion, Daigokuden (Main Hall), and Soryu (Blue Dagon) side pavilion. (In the film Lost in Translation, Scarlett Johansson's character takes a stroll throught the Heian Shrine.

Bell Tower or Shôrô at Kinkakuji

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Evening found me going shopping at Tower Records, OPO, and the Takashimaya department store downtown. The OPO department store consisted of space rented by several independent concerns. I bought some graphic design tops for my daughter at Cactus. Tower Records was on the top floor of the building. Here I found CDs featuring conductor Takashi Asahina and other Japanese classical CDs I had been seeking. Uniformed hostesses greeted shoppers entering the Takashimaya department store. The entire Takashimaya basement was a supermarket of all variety of foods, western and Japanese. There were prepared and fresh food sections, a bakery section, a butcher, seafood, produce, and candy. Bagels were 145 Yen. I bought a cinnamon bun for a snack later. (One took a tray and placed bakery selections on the tray for purchase at the register.) Had dinner at a cafe in the basement of Takashimaya. (I recall it was called something like Brownstone. It had counter service and was supposed to evoke a New York Brownstone.) Dinner was a beef and mushroom curry in a dark sauce, over rice, with a Japanese coleslaw on the side. (Believe the curry dish was Kare Raisu.)